


The Haunting of Château de Porte

by JH_Moller



Category: The Haunting of Bly Manor (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Romance, ghost story, no dead lesbians
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:54:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28337274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JH_Moller/pseuds/JH_Moller
Summary: Dani works alongside her uncle at a vineyard in southern France. Up at the main house Jamie has just signed on as the new sommelier for the mansion turned hotel. Then add clueless tourists, a bit of greed, vine pruning and nosy American journalists - lets see where that will take us.Oh, I forgot about the door. But maybe we should save that for later. Yeah, for now, forget about the door.
Relationships: Dani Clayton/Jamie
Comments: 24
Kudos: 47





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Calling this an AU feels a bit like cheating. Because I have stolen their names and their faces and that's it, these are not the same characters you know and love. But since Mr Flanagan refuse to make us a third lesbian haunting I decided to do it for him. So this is me stealing the actors' likeness and stealing the characters names so I get to post it under the guise of fanfic.
> 
> The idea is actually not mine to begin with, but...I don't actually have a name to credit you properly, but you know who you are and if you ever stumble upon this thank you for letting me borrow your idea.
> 
> Thirdly, I don't know shit about wine except that if the bottle says Malbec I will love it and that Peeno Noir is for gay men only. But the basic idea was too fun to pass on and it felt like the perfect setting for a ghostly lesbian romance.

* * *

Prologue

Dani had a future, it had been firmly staked out before her. Since she was ten years old it had been a maze with only one way forward. First step, get good grades. Second step, Eddie her best friend was now supposed to be her boyfriend. Third step, go to College and become a teacher. The first step had been fine, the second one something had begun chaffing and as she tried her hand at the third everything fell apart. Or exploded might be a better descriptor. It had all come to an abrupt end in the courtyard in front of the Frebel building on campus. There had been Eddie, surprising her, his first mistake, there had also been a ring, a second mistake. The third mistake however was Dani's because something snapped and suddenly everyone within fifty feet now knew that she was “a fucking lesbian and I can't do this anymore!”.

The “this” in that equation turned out to be both College and Eddie. So she had dropped out. She had moved back home to her mother's. A mother who might not be a homophobe in the old school sense, but still managed to be a decent bigot nevertheless. At twenty-one she had still been under the misconception that she did in fact owe her mother something for having given birth to her. So when her mother had reached a similar snapping point about the disappointment of having a gay daughter arrangements were made. No, not conversion therapy or priest ready with an exorcism, instead she was unceremoniously shipped off to a distant uncle living and working on a vineyard in the southeast of France. A bit of “time away” was supposed to sort her out, as if grapes might have an influence on sexuality and hold a magic power to restore the motivation to study. In reality it was more of a punishment and a way that Dani's mother hoped would stifle waggling tongues. That was now six years ago. Dani was still very much a lesbian, only difference is now she also had two ex-girlfriends and a few casuals relationships to know she was very sure about that. As for the other part. She looked down at her calloused and stained hands, no the urge to return to her studies, to become anyone's teacher, it wasn't there and it hadn't been there for a long time.

Because what had started off as punishment and exile had turned into love and freedom. That first summer she had trailed behind her uncle nervously, anxiously watching his actions, feeling inadequate about every move and every action. Uncle Henry had been patient though, carefully showing her again and again how to do this and how to perform that task. She had tired with herself far earlier than he had. But she was determined, if nothing else, she truly was that. So she kept at it. Slowly insecurities began to quiet and she worked so hard she didn't have time for any anxieties as her head hit the pillow at night. When the season was over being forced to return to the States had felt like the punishment. So she had sworn, both to herself and to her uncle that once the season began again she would be back. And she had been.

Now she was twenty-seven years old with nothing besides an old Citroën CX and a bunch of grape-stained shirts to her name. To some that idea might have been scary, like for her mother, but for Dani all she felt was free. Maybe it would be nice to have more people around her than Henry and it would be nice to have someone to hold close at night. But ever since she realised she was gay that dream had always been more of a bonus and never an expectation.

“You need roots,” Henry complained in the re-hashing of an old argument.

“I'm not a plant,” Dani yelled back at him from across the field.

“All living things need roots, Dani!” he countered.

“Like you?”

“I have roots. These vines and this place are mine.”

“So what's to say they're not mine?” she wiped her forehead with the back of her sleeve. It was only just spring, but the heat of midday and hard work could still force a sweat.

“Each time winter comes you flit back to that godforsaken land on the other side of the Atlantic like you're one of those migrating birds.”

“What are you saying? You want me to stay in that cottage with you so we both can freeze our asses off?”

“No, I'm getting old, I want my own space,” he scoffed at her. “I want you to find your own place. Maybe a nice girl to keep you warm.”

“You see any nice girl's around be sure to let me know.” She stretched and heard something pop in her back, the sound probably should have worried her, but the relief in her straining muscles felt too good to be worrying. “The tourists come and go and other than them there's only the Crains'.”

“Keep your eyes open kid, that's all I'm saying.”

“I'll do that, but you're paying for my eyedrops because the only thing I'll be walking away with are dry eyes.”

“You're too cynical for someone this young,” he chastied.

“I have to be, otherwise they wouldn't hand me my lesbian membership card.”

“When was the last time you used it anyhow?” he mumbled in a low grumble.

She smiled widely and stopped her task. “I didn't know you had the sass in you, uncle.”

“Get back to work, brat.” He shook his head at her and she laughed light-heartedly in return.

***

Jamie had never had a future. The only reason she existed in the first place was due to a healthy dose of accidental ejaculation and maybe one too many Strongbow. So she was born and the blank space she should have been handed was tainted by her parents mistakes, her being one of them. A mistake bearing the stamp “no future” from day one. She had tried to go with that, for a long time. But the problem was her damn eye-lids, because every time she closed her eyes there they were, the dreams. And for a scrawny kid from South Milford, don't look it up, it's not worth knowing, she had pretty spectacular ones. She dreamt of different countries, she dreamt of the whole world. She dreamt of success, of work being something that made her happy and not an unfortunate means to an end. And she dreamt of kissing Kimberley Daniels behind the Nag's Head.

She never did get to kiss Kimberley behind the Nag's Head, instead old man Roberts offered her a job behind the bar and it seemed better than a lot of the other options. There she learned most men drink lager with the same interest they drink tea. She learned that a slice of lemon in a gin and tonic was eyed with suspicion but was deemed sacrilegious if left out. But she had the feeling that maybe the clientele on a Tuesday night in South Milford was not entirely representative of people at large. It was a gut feeling up until one night a well-dressed woman in a business suit that made it very clear she was only travelling through, even before she opened her mouth and a polished London accent tainted her words, sat across the bar and asked the impossible question of, “what's your wine selection?”. In retrospect Jamie realised that the obsession with wine that sparked had a lot more to do with the woman's décolletage than any innate interest in grapes on Jamie's part. But once certain buttons are pushed there is no rewind to be applied. That interaction had been one of those. She had gotten lost in grapes, in provinces, in vintages. At first it had been something to waste a bit of time on, something to take your mind off other things. But the interest grew and with each closing of her eyelids the dreams began to burn brighter and harder. Until dreams had turned into plans.

Then there had farewells that meant nothing. A train ride to London. Followed by a gruelling time learning how much she had left to learn. But eventually the dreams were reality, some of them at least. She was officially a sommelier. She even had the diploma to prove it. The next thing she learned however was that a diploma meant very little without connections or experience. But the advantage with having no future was that you also had a limited sense of having something to lose. So she worked hard, she worked twice as hard.

And somehow, don't ask her to explain how, because she couldn't, she found herself in France of all places. In France working at an honest to god vineyard run by the Crain family, supplying tourists with a full wine-tasting experience. There were parts of it that really weren't very different from Tuesdays at the Nag's Head, money did not necessarily mean you understood the complexities of a red wine better than Phil Dornan understood the complexities of the pints he threw back. But there were other aspects that were nothing alike and those aspects made her eyelids burn a little less hot at night.

“Where's your head at?” the youngest of the Crains asked with a playful smile on his lips, one that could probably be best described as charming. Jamie probably would have called it that too, if the man would stop dropping hints of interest that went beyond her professional skills. That part of him kept throwing a wet blanket over any of his charm for her.

“Going through the lists for next week,” she replied with a smile of her own, one she hoped came across as sincere, without being enticing.

“I think we are going to have a very good season ahead of us,” Luke said, smile beaming wide as he leaned against the bar, drumming his palms against the wood in a quick little drumroll. Despite seeing the action coming Jamie couldn't help jumping at the sound of it.

“I hope so,” she said and gave him another smile, this one leaning towards lukewarm.

He leaned a little closer to her on the bar and tilted his head in another gesture she thought would probably also have been charming if it wasn't so clear he was barking for heterosexuality and she had none to spare. “So, you settling in alright?” he asked.

“I am thank you. The language barrier however,” she exaggerated her exhale. “They are not crazy about us Brits,” she said with one side of her mouth curling into a self-deprecating little smile.

“If you need anything, you just let me know, okay?” he smiled at her again.

Jamie was not a delicate flower of any kind, but the situation was new and the job one she really wanted to keep. So the things that crossed her mind had to remain unsaid, such as, 'you're cute kid, like a German Shepard with floppy ears, but unless you're currently acting as your sister's wingman we are no-go'. Not that she was harbouring any huge crush on the woman either, she was a little too ...Morticia Adams for Jamie's tastes, but at least it was closer to her playing field. “That's good to know,” she replied and hoped it came across as disinterested without being downright dismissive. Internally she sighed, she was never going to learn how to handle straight men. “I was actually hoping maybe there would be time for an actual tour of the grounds. I'd love to know more about the place itself.”

He pushed himself off the counter. “Sure, I'll ask Henry to give you the grand VIP tour. That would probably make his day anyhow. That man can talk grapes,” he laughed a little dismissively. “If there is anything else, you let me know,” he said and winked at her before he left the room.

Jamie stared down at the itinerary in front of her and tried not to let the exasperated sigh that wanted to escape from her lips break it's chains. She needed to find a way to respectfully squash that flirtatious glint in Luke's eyes, and she needed to do it quickly or this season was going to be a very long one.

* * *

Chapter 1

The morning air was sharp, it wore it's thorns on the outside, rasping at skin and spreading it's breeze through to the core of bones. Dani rubbed her hands together, trying to force some warmth into them, but they seemed to remain as cold as fish fingers straight out of the box. It ached as she flexed them, but the work was in front of her so she picked the shears off the loop on her belt and went back to it. Eyes carefully scrutinising each vine, looking for the weak spots and trying to find kernels of potential, taking her time before removing the shoots that would only steal nutrition from the future grapes.

“Coffee?” Henry hollered from the cabin, his voice carrying easily in the brisk air.

Glad to be handed an excuse she hung the shears back onto her belt and made her way towards him, subconsciously taking note of the grounds around her on the way there, her cold hands reaching out touching the vines along the way mindlessly.

“You read my mind, I felt like I was about to freeze my fingers off,” she said as she sat down on the short steps up to the cabin, reaching out and accepting a warm cup of coffee.

“Can't have that, can we,” he said in between sips. “So what do you think?” he asked and looked out over the grounds.

“It looks good,” she said, nestling the cup close to her chest. “It actually looks really good. I can't remember last time it looked this good,” she admitted pensively. “So of course now I'm wary as shit something is going to come along and fuck it all up.”

Henry leaned to the side and spat three times onto the ground. Dani shook her head at his superstition, but strangely enough his actions also made her feel a little less uneasy about the future of the vines.

She took a long drink of the cooling beverage in her hands and looked out across the dormant greenery, her eyes finding the main house up on the hill. Silently marvelling in how it could be so separated from their reality. She hardly ever saw the Crains or any of the people working up at the stately home turned hotel. It was their land and she only worked it, but there were more moments than not during which she completely forgot that. The land around her didn't feel like it belonged to anyone, it was just something that had begun to be a part of her.

“I've been thinking,” she said and turned towards her uncle.

“That sounds like dangerous business,” he teased her, but gave her shoulder an affectionate squeeze to mellow any sting of his words.

“About what you said, actually,” she replied, deciding to ignore the little barb.

“Oh no, that sounds even more dangerous,” he chuckled. “What did I say that inspired such insanity?”

“The thing about roots.” She put the mug down between them on the stairs, all that was left in it the dregs. She tilted her head and squinted a little as the sun had begun to find it's way out of the clouds and into her eyes. “When this season is over I would like to stay.”

Surprised he looked over at her, something thoughtful descended over his features. “I don't want to pressure you.”

“And you're not, but I like this life, I like this place,” she confessed. “I don't know if the Crains would be willing to take me on full-time, but I really would like to learn all of it. I'm old enough to know that this is actually a life that I would like to have.”

“You know it's hard work, I don't have to tell you that, but I still feel I need to ask. Are you sure?”

“I am,” she said sincerely. “It's not a spur of the moment thing. There's a reason you haven't been able to get rid of me since that first summer.”

He laughed. “Your mother thinking this would be punishment.”

“In retrospect I think she regrets that decision,” she paused to leave room for the emphasis. “A lot.” The smile on her lips was tinted bitter sweet.

“I'm not saying that I don't think you know your own mind, but what do you say about returning to this discussion when fall comes around?” he asked her careful not to belittle her determination, but still wanting to give her an out if need be.

“I'll hold you to that,” she said, now with a smile that had turned sincere and open.

The sound of crunching gravel made them look up along the pathway that lead towards the main house, a tall man carried himself towards them on long strides. As he came closer Luke raised his hand in greeting and gave them a, “Hello!”.

“Not every day we see you down here, Mr Crain. How can we help?” Henry greeted him in return.

“Luke's fine, Mr Crain is dad, not me,” he said with a boyish smile that in fact made mister sound awkward placed in front of his last name. “I was actually hoping for a favour.”

Henry laughed easily. “You do know we actually work for you?” he smiled.

Luke looked a little ill at ease. “Well the favour I meant to ask isn't necessarily part of your work assignments, but I think you're the man for the job.”

Henry didn't reply, but nodded his head encouragingly. “We've got the new sommelier and she's of the curious persuasion,” Luke continued. “As much as I hate to admit it, I don't know shit about this place, but you know everything that's worth knowing. So I thought I'd ask if I could send her down your way for a little tour?”

Dani frowned, but unbeknownst to Luke who kept his eyes on Henry. “Sure why not? We'll do our best to answer as best we can.”

“You always come through, Henry. I knew I could trust you.” Luke's face beamed with a smile.

***

It was cold, colder than it had a right to be when you wore two sweaters and woolly socks. Despite that Jamie found herself shivering and wishing she had something warm to drink, or at least something warm to occupy her cold hands with. In reality she could probably have gotten off the chair, walk from her corner of the restaurant and over to the bar where she easily could have fixed herself some tea or taken a shot at the expensive looking coffee machine and see what that could provide. But she felt a little uneasy doing so, because next to the bar were also the older of the Crain siblings, Theo, which was short for something, but she wasn't entirely sure what, Theodora? No, that didn't sound right in Jamie's mind. No matter what her full name was the woman was in deep conversation with the manager of the Château de Porte, Hannah Grose. Their voices were kept low and their body language was guarded, telling her she would not have been welcomed to trespass within earshot of whatever conversation they were having.

She looked away from them, despite her curiosity she was not about to invade on anyone's private business. She knew how much she herself hated nosy strangers, so the best thing she could do was mind her own damn business. So instead she tucked her hands into her armpits and squeezed them close to her body, hoping to infuse some new life and warmth back into them. Her eyes returned to the laptop screen in front of her, reading through the last sentence she had typed out. Frowning she removed one of her hands from the warmth and stabbed at the backspace key repeatedly. She had intentions, she had grand intentions, of journaling her time at this place. It had started when she was studying, at first brief snippets of what she'd learned, what she wanted to focus on next. From there it grew, the writings became longer, the musings turned more introspective. It had seemed self-indulgent at first, but the longer she kept at it, the more use she realised it was. Being able to go back and track your own development as well as your own emotions and approaches to different problems and obstacles that you were faced with was actually incredibly empowering. Sometimes the best way forward was to look back. There are important lessons to learn from the past. But there was something about this place that had made the words...the words did not seem to flow as easily as they once had. Her mind was busier than she could ever remember it being, there was so many new things, so many new people, so many complex relationships to settle into. She had more to write about, both personal and professional, than ever before, but the words...they weren't there.

“Coffee?” Theo's voice took her by surprise and the shock must have been visible on her face, because the other woman gave a little chuckle as she looked up. “Didn't mean to startled you,” she said apologetically with a crooked little smile that had that same charming quality as her younger brother's. Except on her lips Jamie could actually enjoy it without that overwhelming sense of dread that it would be followed by awkward attempts at flirtation.

“It's alright, deep in thought apparently,” Jamie replied with a smile of her own. “You don't have any tea, do you?” she asked.

“Living the stereotype?” Theo teased her with another of those charming little smiles.

“As much as I love baguettes and wine, sometimes a girl gets homesick,” she joked.

Theo looked at her with sincere eyes, not quite catching the joking tone in her voice. “Everything okay?”

Jamie warmed at the genuine question and waved her hand a little dismissively between them. “No, it's fine, but some tea would be great.”

“You've got it.”

She watched Theo head back towards the bar and only just then realised that Hannah was nowhere to be seen, apparently she had left the big dining hall soon after her conversation with Theo. Jamie studied the other woman, noticing how her body language had opened up and she didn't seem quite as high strung as before. She also took note of how objectively attractive she was, dark hair, big gorgeous eyes, dressed in a tailored black shirt and black slacks that both looked like they not only were magically lint-repellent but also designed specifically for the woman who wore them. Jamie's eyebrows rose as she realised that maybe they had been. The Crains apparently did not suffer the need to budget or question their spendings, they had the money and then some, if what research she had done before accepting the job had been true.

A steaming cup was placed before her and the scents of fragrant herbs hit her nose and cause her to involuntary moan. Blushing a little she quickly added, “That smells heavenly, thank you”.

Theo slid into a seat across from her and gave a small bashful nod in reply.

She sipped the tea in silence for a few quiet moments, stealing glances at the other woman who easily allowed the silence to stay comfortable between them. Wanting to build on the moment to prevent it from turning weird, Jamie opened her mouth and asked, “Is it always this cold?”.

Theo tilted her head and smiled another blinding smile. “This time of the year, yeah. Cold as a witches tit. I don't know what I expected when we moved here, I had this childish mental picture of France as warm, soft and inviting.” She laughed at her own words. “Hell, was I wrong.”

“You don't like it here?” Jamie asked knowing she might be crossing some kind of invisible line by invading the privacy of her employer like that.

“I do.” Theo's eyes drifted towards the doorway and Jamie was unable to stop hers from following, but they landed on nothing but empty air. “It's both harsh and beautiful, but I don't think I would like to trade it for anything. It's home.”

“It's a very beautiful one.”

“Thank you.”

“Your brother promised to give me the grand tour, or rather he promised someone named Henry would do it for him.”

“That sounds like my brother, the master of outsourcing.” The corner of her mouth twitched briefly in an expression Jamie couldn't interpret.

“I don't think I've met this Henry?” She let the statement hang between them like a question.

“Henry runs the grounds. Even if we don't actually produce any large-scale wine of our own at the moment there is a certain upkeep for the clients. People want to visit a vineyard that looks like a vineyard.” Jamie thought she heard a tone of bitterness in her voice, but wasn't sure.

“How come you don't produce your own? I've seen the size of the grounds.”

“We make our money off the tourists, it's not economically defensible to start up that venture, not on the scale that would make it worth it,” Theo answered with a casual shrug. A phone began to ring loudly and Theo looked back over at the bar where her phone was dancing across the counter. “Excuse me,” she politely said as she left Jamie behind.

Watching her retreat and pick up the phone Jamie felt a strange kind of sadness about the unused grapes. It seemed so wasteful to put on that much of a show and for what? She didn't really know much about the upkeep of a vineyard or grapes, not until they were deemed to be worthy of being made into wine, but it still felt...sad. All those vines bearing fruit and for what? To only be used as backdrop so tourists could get the right _feel_ when they stayed for a weekend?

She looked back at her laptop, but now felt heavy and a lot sadder than should have been appropriate. Maybe it was the cold, or maybe she had been more truthful when talking to Theo than she had intended, maybe she was more homesick than she had realised. Which was a strange thing to come to terms with as she didn't have a home to miss, but the sad longing still lingered despite that.

***

The door stood open. Two sides, a solid wooden doorframe to separate them and an unlocked door hanging wide open as an invitation.

The door stayed open.

And it waited.

Time meant nothing, there was no hurry. Seconds, minutes, months or years. None of that mattered as the door stayed open and waited. It had been quiet, for the longest time it had waited in silence, but something had shifted and now there was a voice. It was still patient, it was always patient, but now it held a voice and that changed things. That voice had begun to hum. It was the kind of sound that almost didn't feel like a noise, it was a vibration, a sensation more than anything. And it rippled. Vibrations reaching out causing further vibrations. Like an ebb and flow where it's impossible to know what secret the first wave told to the second and how much theirs differed from the messages that eventually hit the shores.

An open door and a low hum. No cause for alarm in that, was there?


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Something had woken her up. The cottage was old and it was drafty. Perhaps it was the creaking of wood, the sound of mice scuttling beneath the floorboards, the wind that rustled the shutters. It was hard to know what, but something had torn Dani from her sleep. She turned on her side and settled the covers over her torso, hugging it close to her body trying to ward off the cold. That same cold still found her spine and travelled along it, forcing her eyes to open and her mind to instantly rid itself of any lingering cobwebs of sleep. She stayed still, staring out into the dark, seeing the contours of the dried flowers hanging in the window, noticing the darkness of the sky outside. It was not even close to morning yet, night still held the world in it's grasp, but she was wide awake.

As she laid there flashes began to find their way back into her mind. She had been dreaming, she thought. The flashes were brief, there were no pictures to go with them, only sensations. As the cold continued to travel along her spine she remembered cold palms, a furiously beating heart, a cry, but there was a distance to all of it, as if nothing of it truly belonged to her.

The feeling of unease grew so pregnant she forced herself out of the bed in an attempt to escape it. She didn't actually have to pee, but she headed towards the bathroom. Once there she pulled the string to the lamp and it came to life with a loud click, throwing yellow light across the small bathroom, catching in the drops falling from the tap. She looked at it in surprise, unable to remember if that was something she should know about. Had Henry told her about that? Was she supposed to fix that? It felt like it was something that would land on her to-do list.

She sank down on the toilet and the coldness against her skin forced the final part of her to wake up and reality manifested around her as the unease gave way to the mundane.

Once finished she rationalised there was no point in going back to bed as the watch read four am. Quietly she got dressed in the dark, trousers the easy part, her thick knitted jumper proving more difficult and had her cursing to herself as it took her two attempts to get it on right side out. She snuck down the stairs, knowing by heart which steps would scream out if she put pressure on them and which ones were safe to step out without risking waking Henry up.

In the tiny kitchen she debate whether or not she should make coffee, there was always a risk the smell would rouse him up despite her efforts to stay quiet. But it was four am and there was a limit even to her compassion for sleeping uncles. She prepared the moka pot and placed it on the stove-top and leaned against the appliance as she waited it out. As her patience ran out she walked over to the window and looked out across the pathway leading up to the house, something flickered across her vision, but her mind wasn't sharp enough to recognise what it was, some animal, small, maybe a farm cat from one of the places close by. The pot made an aggressive sound and she jumped back to move it from the heat before it woke up Henry.

She poured herself a cup and went back to the window, leaning against the counter in front of it she let her eyes find the darkness again. With nothing else to do and with a mind too clear for sleep she allowed her eyes to accustom to the shadows outside, slowly adjusting and catching more and more details under the moonlight. It was strangely compelling, a midnight theatre put on by nature. Leaves rustled, animals darted between foliage, dew catching the moon's silver and sparkled like diamonds. Eerie and beautiful, she thought as she finished off her coffee.

***

Jamie stared at herself in the mirror and she frowned. It wasn't a particularly pleasant visage that she was met with. Her eyes looked faintly bloodshot and there was a darkness under them that was accentuated by the blue tones of the electric light over the bathroom mirror. The insomnia had begun a week after she had arrived and it hadn't fully let up since. Some nights were alright, but the majority of them were like this. She woke up exhausted, tired through to the bone before the day had even begun. So okay, maybe it wasn't actually insomnia, she slept, or at least she thought she did, but there didn't seem to be any recuperation in it. She tilted her head and looked at her reflection again. Did she dream? Why was it so hard to remember if she dreamt? She must have, she was sure of it, but as someone who usually was very good at remembering her dreams in detail she now realised she couldn't remember a single one since she came to France.

Frowning she picked up her toothbrush, placed it against her teeth and pressed the button. The electric whirl of it drowned out any other concerns she might have had and put her in a meditative trance as she went through the day's activities. She needed to catch Owen, she needed to bounce some ideas with him about the summer menu. She wasn't quite sure what kind of fresh produce the region would provide, so she'd pick his professional brain so she could balance out a more full tasting experience to go with his food. Maybe test the waters a little and see how willing he would be for them to collaborate on a menu. She didn't want to step on anyone's toes and from what experience she had with chefs they were more often than not men and women with large egos and easy access to knives, not the type of people you wanted to rub the wrong way. She hadn't really gotten a feel of him yet, just a face among the many other faces. So far the only thing that stood out was the accent that actually made her feel a little more at home even if London per-say never had been home-home.

She leaned over and spat the white foam into the sink and ran the brush under the water. Something caught her attention in the corner of her eye, like a glint, or a light. She turned around half expecting someone to be standing inside of her hotel room, but the doorway was empty and on the other side everything appeared to be the way she had left it. Her clothes strewn out on one side of the bed, her few belongings, the laptop, a couple of books and nothing much more, were placed around the otherwise sterile looking room.

At first it had seemed like such a luxury to be living in a hotel room, but the charm wore off quickly. It mostly just felt impersonal. Hotel rooms were by nature places in between places, it was a break from everything else, but when the room itself became everything else, then it felt strange. It made disassociating from your own life a little too easy. Nothing was yours and everything was temporary. Which maybe was true of life in general, but it held undertones in this context that were hard to come to terms with. Or maybe she should attribute that to the lack of sleep.

She gave her appearance a final glance in the mirror, still no happier with it this time. But there were no options, going back to bed was not on the table besides it didn't seem to do her any good anyhow. So she moved back into the room and began to get dressed for the day.

***

The tasting had gone by without a hitch. They had a good group for the weekend, Jamie decided. The right amount of curious and humble, people who were there to learn and to enjoy good food, wine and surroundings. Despite being so early in spring there was a decent turn out too, not close the what she'd been told they'd see once spring came closer to summer, but fair. A total of fourteen people and six parties, ages ranging all across the spectrum. They were now busy socialising across the dining hall, voices growing a little louder as the tasting was finished and the drinking had begun. She kept her eyes attentively on them while multi-tasking by writing down some notes of her own from the session, ideas she intended to bring with her for next time.

Each time she looked back up at the crowd the same woman seemed to be looking back at her, not with the expression of someone who actually wanted service, but the eyes were there and then they were quickly averted. And it had happened all throughout the afternoon. Jamie was by no means clueless, she had worked behind a bar since she was fifteen, she was very familiar with the lingering looks of men and women both. But this didn't quite feel like that. There was a curiosity in the way the woman's eyes followed her that did not feel sexual. Or maybe she was reading into things, maybe she only really noticed that the woman was looking in her direction because she herself stood out with the red hair and good looks.

“Good event?” Hannah asked as she sidled up next to her behind the bar. Jamie turned her head towards her and nodded.

“Really good, actually. I'm surprised at some of the questions. Those two old men in the corner, they knew their wines,” she said.

Hannah looked over at them briefly. “They treat you alright? They've got that look of men who can't handle...” she looked back at Jamie as she tried to find the word she was looking for. “Well, women.”

Jamie gave a short laugh. “To the point. I know what you mean, I was thinking the same thing when they introduced themselves. Apparently they work in 'finance',” she said making air quotes. “But turns out looks can be deceiving, they were lovely and inquisitive. And probably more than a little gay.”

Hannah raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. “Really?”

Letting her eyes skim the hall again Jamie's eyes were met by the gaze of the same woman, and once more she quickly looked away and turned her eyes towards her companion at the table. The interaction distracted her enough that the pause after Hannah's question had begun to grow awkward. “Sorry, yeah I think so. But what do I know.” She shrugged and without intending to allowed her eyes to stay on the red-headed woman who tugged at her attention.

Her brow must have crinkled into a frown, because Hannah asked, “Problem?”.

Jamie tore her eyes away and forced politeness back into her actions, meeting Hannah's eyes as she talked to her. “I don't think so.”

“Because you looked a little...” Hannah didn't finish but left the statement open ended.

She smiled at her and tried to make it look reassuring. “I'm perfect.”

Hannah didn't seem entirely convinced, but she dropped the issue and headed off in the direction of the kitchen. Jamie took the opportunity to go back to her notes, trying to decipher the scribblings that happened only hours ago. Struggling to remember what she had meant by 'follows, lingers, unsettled' scrawled in the marginal. She pulled the clipboard closer, squinting a little, but that's still what she could make out. She placed it back on the counter and shook her head. She was not old enough to have this bad of a short-term memory.

“Can I ask you a question?” Jamie looked up, feeling a little embarrassed at not having heard anyone approach, her eyes was met by the mystery woman up close. The woman's lips were turned into a polite little smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. Instead her eyes held a sharpness that set off an undefined tingle in the pit of Jamie's stomach.

“Sure, how can I help?” she said and subconsciously placed her hands on the bar counter between them.

The redhead reached out her hand, long fingers and well manicured fingernails, Jamie noticed and felt a little awkward about being unable to shut down that reflex.

“I feel like I should at least introduce myself before I bombard you with questions and demands,” the woman said with a little laugh that actually didn't sound half-insincere. “Poppy. Poppy Hills.”

Jamie looked at the hand again and reached out her own. “Jamie, but I think you already knew that.”

“I did,” she smiled, it was a good one, all wide and full of bright teeth. “I'm actually working for this small wine blog – “

“Oh, which one?” Jamie asked lighting up with interest.

Poppy's eyes drifted towards the entrance of the kitchen, but then shot back to her and she gave a dismissive shrug. “Trust me, you haven't heard of us.” She laughed, but it didn't quite sound right in Jamie's ears. “But hopefully you will soon. This trip isn't actually all pleasure for my part, I'm meaning to write this place up.”

“That's great, PR is always a good thing, hopefully at least,” Jamie gave her a crooked little smile.

“I've loved this place so far,” that bright blinding smile found it's ways back onto Poppy's face. “So what I wanted to ask was, is there any chance I can get a copy of this place's wine-list? And I don't mean just what you serve, but the entire collection is always half the draw, don't you think?”

Something cold crawled up Jamie's spine, there was something not right here. The question wasn't by any means far-fetched or a strange one to be posing, but it was her eyes that made Jamie uncomfortable. This woman looked at her in a way that was layered and veiled at the same time. “I'll have a talk with the manager and I'll see what I can do for you,” she replied non-committally.

***

Dani stood in the opening into the rundown old barn situated next to her uncle's cottage. It could have been a beautiful place, at one time it might actually have been. But neglect had torn down it's charm and it was now mostly just the skeleton of a building where the breeze found no obstacles and the animals played freely. Henry knew the basics of a bit of everything, but he was not necessarily a handy man. He knew how to make things blossom and bloom, as long as it came with it's own roots. Dani thought it was a bit of a shame, because the building deserved so much more life than to simply be used as a storage.

“Where's the picnic table?” she asked over her shoulder as Henry came walking up to her.

“It didn't survive the winter, had to put it down. Did keep me warm for more than one night though,” he replied as he stopped next to her. With one hand he reached up to the opening and removed a large spiderweb that swayed in the wind.

“You should do something about this place,” she said and he gave her an offended look.

“What do you mean?” he asked and looked into the musty storage room, he looked as if he honestly didn't know what she meant.

“If you keep letting it rot like this one of these days one of us is going to get the roof on our heads as we fetch something.” She carefully leaned in and studied the ceiling, taking note that her statement might actually be a bit of an exaggeration as the ground structure did look solid all around.

“You know it's not really my thing. I've got four thumbs when it comes to these things.”

“Just a broom would be a good start. Four thumbs still means you have hold one of those.”

“I think I liked you better when you were a kid and I got to boss you around.”

She gave him a crooked smile. “I bet you did.”

“Bertrand had some spill lumber he promised me. Should make for a decent new table.” He looked over at Dani with a look on his face that she knew very well, it was the one where he had already signed her up to do something he thought she wasn't going to like. “Someone simply needs to head over and pick it up.”

“Then build the damned thing.”

“That won't take you more than two minutes, you're good with these kinds of things. I already talked to Luke, it's fine to borrow the Transporter.”

“Fine,” she sighed. “Does Bertrand know I'm coming? I don't want to be chased by that damned dog of his again.”

“He knows, I talked to him this morning, said you'd drop by during the day.”

She raised an eyebrow at him. He looked over at her as she didn't answer him. “What?” he asked.

“Nothing, just nothing. A one-woman job then?”

“You wouldn't want me to cramp your style,” he gave her a heartfelt pat on the back and walked away.

She shook her head and pulled the door shut, the hinges screamed in protest.

***

Dani stepped into the reception, feeling as out of place as always in the main house. It was ostentatious in every way she thought was either uncomfortable or downright ugly. But who was she to judge, it apparently appealed to tourists which in turn made sure the Crains had a reason to employ her.

She gave a nod to the young woman behind the desk. “Mrs Grose in?”

The girl nodded and went back to her phone without any further attempt at socialising. Not that Dani was looking for one. She quickly stepped round the reception and headed into the back office, which was the small hub of operations for the whole place. She knocked on the door three times and was quickly met by a, “Come in!”.

She pushed the door open halfway and poked her head in spotting Hannah behind her computer, a pile of what looked like invoices next to her. “Dani,” she greeted with a warm smile. “Haven't hardly seen you since you got here.”

“You know me,” she said and gave a self-deprecating little shrug. “I prefer the cottage to this place.”

“I know.” The warm smile stayed on her lips. “You should make an exception at some point. Join me over some wine and maybe a bit of Owen's cooking.”

Dani quirked the corner of her mouth into a grin. “You looking for a chance to gossip?”

“Me!” She put on a fake offended look. “Never. I would never gossip!” she objected, but quickly lost her composure and ended up laughing, it was a melodic and infectious sound.

She smiled at her, as far as Dani was concerned Hannah was actually one of the decent ones in this place. She wasn't like the Crains, she actually knew and appreciated hard work, and she was down to earth in a way Dani admired. “I'll find the time,” Dani promised. “Henry said he'd cleared borrowing the van with Luke.”

“Sure, no problem. The keys are on the hook,” she nodded towards a small key locker next to the door. Dani walked into the room and over to it, picking the familiar car keys off the hook.

“I shouldn't be too long,” Dani promised.

“It's alright, things are quiet on our end. You take your time, love.”

She knew the expression well, the term of endearment that seemed to so easily and casually drop from the lips of British people. Still it made her feel strange, each time. It always felt too intimate to her, she knew it wasn't meant as such. But to her, it was hard to erase her cultural background and go with it. Same with the French penchant for cheek kissing as a means of greeting. It was never going to feel comfortable or normal to her, not even if she spent the rest of her life living here. She ducked her head in a quiet thanks and quickly closed the door after her.

***

As Dani reached the parked car she heard a woman's voice before she saw who it belonged to.

“No, no, it's fine,” the voice quieted as if it listened to another unheard voice. “Yeah, I definitely think so to.”

She rounded the car and saw a woman lean against the side of it. The woman's red hair shone in the sunlight and contrasted nicely against the background of the white car. As the redhead saw her she seemed to recoil in shock, almost looking like she had been caught doing something she wasn't supposed to. “I have to go,” she said and quickly ended the call.

“Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt,” Dani apologised.

“No, worries, doll,” she said with a piercing look that made Dani feel like she should cover up, or run away. The woman's smile was wide, full, but also played at some part of Dani's reptile brain that triggered all kinds of klaxons.

Dani subconsciously licked her lips and pointed her thumb at the van. “I'm just – I should get going.”

The woman tilted her head and that part of Dani that sensed danger, it stayed alert. “You work here?” she asked.

Feeling hesitant to answer for absolutely no rational reason it took Dani a while to get the reply to leave her tongue. “I do.”

The stranger let her eyes drift over Dani in a way that made it feel like she was being judged. “I kept meaning to ask – ” The woman pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear and softened her smile. “Do you think there would be any chance of a tour of the grounds? I just love everything about this place, can't get enough of it.”

The tone was exuberant in a way that made it hard to tell if she was genuinely ecstatic or putting on a show. “That's not really my...who are you again?” Dani asked.

“Oh, I'm just staying the weekend with my...” she paused in a way that didn't feel as rehearsed as the rest of their conversation. “Boyfriend.” Somehow she made that one word sound strangely dirty and it cracked some of the cheerful facade she seemed to have adopted.

“Right,” Dani replied and felt entirely like a fish out of water. “Talk to Mrs Grose about it, I'm sure she can help,” she offered. “Now, if you don't mind, I need to get going.” She opened the car and climbed into the cab, almost looking forward to and hoping Bertrand's old boxer would chase her when she got there, because at least that interaction would feel familiar and less...whatever it was this had been.

***

Somewhere along the way Jamie had picked up a habit of holding her breath when she stepped into a kitchen. It was childish, but kitchens held a certain chaotic energy where you always had to make a sacrifice if you wanted to get out alive and with all fingers intact. Her breath was hers. Oh, she fully knew how silly it was, but we all birth and fuel our own strange superstitions that cannot and will not be abandoned no matter how twisted they grow.

She pushed the door open and made her sacrifice. Inside the shiny metal surfaces were gleaming, the floors spotless. This specific kitchen was one of the best maintained one's she had ever worked in.

Opening her mouth to call out in search of Owen she stopped as she heard a man's voice in an angry hushed tone say, “Don't fucking care. Get it done”. She frowned, the echo inside the room distorted the voice and she couldn't quite place it. Luke, maybe? But the tone didn't sound anything like him. Not wanting to step into something she had no business stepping into she raised her voice and called out, “Owen?”.

Quick footsteps headed in the direction of the backdoor. Owen's head popped up behind the shelves. “You rang, milady?”

“You have a minute?” she asked, not wanting to assume his time was hers to hog.

“For you, maybe even two,” he smiled playfully at her. “What can I do you for?”

“Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of, what can we do for each other,” she smiled back at him.

He looked a little taken aback and it in that very moment it struck Jamie her words might have come out a lot more flirtatious than she had intended. “No, that's not – “ she stammered, growing deeply red. “That sounded so much worse than what I have in mind.”

“I mean, I'm not opposed to the idea, but – “ he left it hanging open.

“No, no, sorry. It's really not like that. You're probably very suitable if that's – “ She breathed deeply and stared at him. “I'm fucking this up, I don't want to have sex with you I want to work on a summer menu with you.”

He chuckled at her consternation. “Check, food, no sex – “ Without having finished the rest of his sentence the main doors to the kitchen swung open again to reveal Theo standing in the doorway with a weird expression on her face.

“Am I interrupting something?” she asked awkwardly.

“No!” Jamie squeaked wondering why the earth wasn't swallowing her up and which gods she had crossed to deny her that relief.

“Because I can come back, if...”

“No!” Jamie wanted to grab hold of her sweater and pull her into the room. “Stay, we were discussing the summer menu. Owen --” she looked to him for backup. The amused look on the man's face however earned him a quick trip onto Jamie's shit list.

“Okay, have either of you seen my brother?” Theo asked them.

Jamie looked over at Owen, but his face revealed nothing as he shook his head. She filed it away for later, but wasn't about to say something about the voice she could have sworn belonged to Luke. It could have been nothing but her imagination, besides their own crazy personal relationship circus wasn't hers to interfere with either way.

“Can't say I have,” she shrugged her shoulders apologetically.

“I swear that kid has his own invisibility cloak,” she grumbled. “If either of you find his lazy butt hidden in some closet tell him I need to talk to him.”

“Will do that,” Owen promised as Theo retreated. “So where were with the sex and food business?” he turned his question towards Jamie who gave him an exasperated look.

***

The air is wrong. It's thick. Dense like water. But that's not the reason she can't move. And it's not the reason she can't breathe. Her hands are tied. Her lungs are filled. How could she struggle?

_There is a shift._

A hot knife against soft flesh. She knows what's coming before it happens. The sharp knife finds purchase beneath veins. The blade dissect and force the inside onto the outside. The pain should be unbearable, but there is no escape from it so it has to be borne.

_And a tilt._

The knife is gone. The blood is gone. Now there are words. She's heard these words before. They do the same job as the knife. The inside is on the outside and she hurts.

Then there is the hotness against her skin again. This time it's not metal, it's flesh. A hand, fingers across her throat, a thumb on her larynx. A whisper in her ear.

_“Relax.”_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Her hands were rough, they knew hard work. There were callouses on callouses. Dani was actually very proud of this. Her palms were the proof of how much time, effort and care she had put into this land. Yet, somehow there was still skin left on them to blister from only a few hours work with a saw and a hammer. It was annoying, and as a blister in the soft skin between her thumb and her index finger popped, quite painful too she added. She scowled at the would be picnic table.

The sun had begun to beat down in full and she took the moment to lean back on her haunches and pull off the thick woollen sweater she had on. She threw it to the side on the gravel and briefly inspected her hand. She knew that she should probably wash it out, dress it and get a pair of gloves on, but at the same time she really couldn't be bothered. She picked up the hammer again and went to town on the last few nails, taking her pain out on them. Pain – thump – pain – thump – pain –

It became a zen like experience and her mind drifted far and wide and caused her to miss the approach of another human being.

“Excuse me,” a woman said and it startled Dani so badly the next swing came down on the side of her hand.

“Mother – fucker!” she exclaimed and dropped the hammer.

“Fuck! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to - “

Dani sat back onto the gravel and flexed her smarting hand, obviously nothing broken, but fuck it really did hurt. She glared up at the intruder and her gaze was met by a woman backlit by the sun and it brought on a whole other reason to be annoyed. Before her, or above her, was the kind of woman who looked so effortlessly beautiful it made Dani feel like warmed over toast with a hang-over. Her lips were full and her mouth was inviting in a way no stranger's mouth ever should be. Then there were the eyes which...Dani recognised something in them, like a distant memory or maybe there was something in her expression that struck a chord.

The woman looked uncertain however, a little lost. “Are you alright?”

“I'll live,” Dani admitted from her place on the ground, feet pointing in each direction sprawled out like a kid in a sandbox.

“I'm actually looking for Henry,” she said, frown on that otherwise smooth pale skin. The woman crouched down next to Dani and raised one eyebrow in question before giving a small nod towards Dani's hand. “You sure, you're alright?”

“I leave you alone for ten minutes, what kind of trouble have you managed to dig up for yourself?” Henry asked in a tone that was joking, but with an expression that hinted at some concern. He stepped down the stairs from the cottage and came over to join them.

The woman took one more look at Dani before she stood up again and met Henry's gaze. “You wouldn't by any chance be Henry?” she asked, her brows furrowed.

As the attention was off of her Dani wiped off her hands on her jeans, collected the hammer and got to her own feet.

“I would indeed be Henry,” he came over to them with a smile now on his lips. “I take it you're the curious English rose Luke has been telling me about.”

Dani winced at her uncle's words and tried to distance herself from any more of his potential embarrassment by packing up the toolbox, not keen on continuing her work on the table with an audience.

“I don't think those are the words I'd use to describe myself, but I'll go with it,” she reached out her hand. “Jamie.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Miss Jamie. Henry Wingrave,” he greeted her. “And that sulking would-be carpenter over there would be my niece, Dani.”

The woman in question glanced up at him over her shoulder, frowning a little in annoyance in being roped into the conversation. It very clearly wasn't her job to play tour guide to anyone, not even attractive British women, but she had a sneaking suspicion this was another one of those tasks her uncle would throw onto her to-do list instead of his own. But the polite had been grained into her fabric, so she walked back over to them and extended her hand towards this...Jamie. “Dani Clayton.”

Those eyes that had triggered a semblance of recognition were once again trained exclusively on Dani and the spark was there again. Did she know this woman? “Jamie Taylor,” she shook her hand and as Dani tried to release the grip the other woman held it for a few seconds longer. “I am sorry.”

“Honestly, it's fine,” Dani said and showed her the hand in question. Jamie released the hand she had been holding and gently took hold of the other one, turning it over to inspect the truth of Dani's words. A small frown of concentration took over the woman's expression and with those warm sure fingers on her skin Dani struggled not to let heat find it's way onto her cheeks, or anywhere else for that matter.

Henry cleared his throat and Jamie lost her grip on Dani's hand. Looking over at her uncle she knew what was coming before it even exited his mouth. “I was thinking...” Yep, here it comes, Dani thought ruefully. “You wanted a tour of this place?” he directed at Jamie.

She gave a self-deprecating little laugh and said, “That would be great. I know a little something about wine, but I feel so unprepared every time someone has a question about this place.”

“Are Monday's still the day off up there?” he asked and now suddenly Dani wasn't so sure where he was going.

Jamie nodded. “Yes, no tastings and the restaurant is closed.”

“Then I think we start things off on Monday. Join us for dinner and we'll talk basics and then we can find a time that fits both us and mother nature and we'll take you around the property.”

She looked a little taken aback at first, but a soft smile curled out on her lips slowly. “I'd like that. If you don't mind having to cook for a third.”

“Oh no, Dani, you don't mind do you?” he asked without looking at her.

She raised one eyebrow, but answered him, “No, it's fine”. She looked over at Jamie and tried to match her smile, feeling more than a little self-conscious as she did so.

“Great, then Monday it is. I'll bring the wine and my curiosity.” She gave them a small wave goodbye and headed back towards the house.

Dani tried not to think about how intoxicating her parting smile had been and when she was out of earshot she turned to glare at Henry.

“What was that?”

“What?” he shot back at her.

“What are you up to?” she asked and narrowed her eyes.

“What am I up to?”

She nodded aggressively at him. “Yes, you. You had that look on your face,” she accused him.

“I honestly have no idea what you're talking about,” he sniffled theatrically. “What about you?” he countered.

“What about me?” she asked in exasperation, throwing her hands out into the air.

“That business with the hands,” he said pointedly. “Is that some kind of foreplay?” he teased with a smirk.

“Shut up,” she blushed furiously. “She made me hit myself. She was just - ” She stared at him and his smirk continued. “Shut up!”

“I'm not saying anything.”

“You asked her to dinner.” It was a statement, but her tone was accusatory.

“If all our bellies are full we'll all be able to handle curious questions better.”

She didn't reply. A myriad of thoughts floated around her mind, but she thought best not to voice any of them.

He gave her a pat on the back as he walked past her back towards the cottage. “I told you, keep your eyes open, kid.”

She scowled at his disappearing back.

***

The week had crawled forward on broken glass. A seemingly endless and painful chore that would never end. Monday would not come.

Jamie was convinced time might actually have begun to go backwards. It wasn't, but she had to admit to herself that she really was looking forward to having dinner down at the cottage and thus time slowed as her excitement grew. She hadn't realised how secluded she felt until one stranger asked her to dinner in a place other than this. It wasn't that the people around her weren't nice enough to be around, but everything felt like it was very neatly ordered long before she got there and now there was no time or space to include her in anything. Which for the most part made it feel like she drifted through the place like a spectre. She was there, but she didn't feel like she...had a place, she just occupied space.

So yes, she was looking forward to getting out and to share food and maybe some conversation with two people who weren't part of it. Which maybe wasn't entirely true, as far as she could understand Henry had been in charge of the grounds for the past fifteen years and his niece was apparently a fixture as well. Unfortunately that was the sum of everything she had been able to gather from the others. Either they didn't want to share, or they had never cared to ask. With people like the Crains maybe it wasn't odd, people with the means often have a very limited curiosity about those who's labour they pay for. But neither Hannah nor Owen had been able to provide her with even close to enough background to sate her curious mind.

Finally Monday had come around and she found herself nervously standing in front of the door to the cottage, a bottle of wine in her hand and a little too much concern with how she looked. She told herself it was simply because she hadn't actually met new people in ages, which was utter toss as she met new people with each new group of tourists to arrive. But she would gladly go on pretending.

She reached up and gave the door a solid couple of knocks and she heard movement inside. The door quickly opened to reveal Henry's smiling face.

“Right on time, we've just set the table. Come in,” he motioned her inside, but took a step away from the door so she could enter the small hallway.

“For dinner. It should go well with the fish,” she handed him the bottle. He studied it and crinkled his forehead briefly.

“Red with fish?” he asked looking as if he wasn't sold.

“Trust me,” she said and smiled.

“You're the expert,” he shrugged.

As she stepped into the cottage she was met by a small, but welcoming kitchen. A square sturdy table stood in the middle of it, four mismatching chairs around it. One large window overlooked the pathway she had only minutes before walked up, the windowsill crowded by what looked like various green herbs. The lighting was soft and as inviting as the smells which had hit her nose as soon as she stepped into the place. It was such a sharp contrast to the sterile room in which she spent her evenings that it almost hurt a little. This place felt comforting and comfortable. It had everything a home was supposed to have. Without realising she dropped her shoulders and relaxed.

“Smells so good in here,” she said and Dani who previously had her back turned as she stirred something on the stove gave her a backwards glance, looking almost embarrassed.

“Yeah, well. Hopefully it'll taste decent enough,” she shrugged and went back to stirring. Jamie watched her for a second longer than might have been entirely proprietary. There was something about her that invited staring. She tried to justify that by thinking it was the quiet energy she radiated and not the way her jeans did her a lot of favours. She bit her tongue as she realised it was on it's way to wet her lips and turned towards Henry instead.

His eyes were on her when she met his gaze. She tried to hide her embarrassment by asking, “You want me to open that for you?”. She nodded towards the bottle she had brought with her.

“You're the guest. Take a seat.” He waved her off and indicated the table. She watched him struggle with opening the bottle, but thought that in this moment perhaps the polite thing was to let him get on with it and not tell him that it's literally part of her job, even if that would have made things a lot easier. So she sat back and tried to relax, but felt entirely useless as the other two around her finished preparing dinner and she simply sat there, watching them work.

“Sure I can't help with anything?” she asked as the unease grew stronger.

“It's fine,” Dani said as she placed a saucepan on the table and gave Jamie a knowing look. “You offered, now he just has to prove something to himself,” she added in a quiet voice and gave a faint smile as she sat down next to Jamie. “Worst case, we've got beer in the fridge.”

A small pop followed by a “Ha!” from Henry stopped any reply Jamie might have had. “The wine has been defeated!” he exclaimed as he filled their glasses with a satisfied look on his face. Dani rolled her eyes at him and Jamie ended up smiling at both of them.

Henry took the final place at the table while Dani offered, “Guests first” and indicated for Jamie to serve herself.

“So, Jamie, where are you from and what brought you here?” Henry asked once food had been placed on plates and the general small talk of starting a meal with virtual strangers had died down. He fixed her with a curious gaze that sparked a small discomfort in her.

“I thought I was the one with the questions,” she said trying to cover the unsettled sensation that had been triggered in her.

As if sensing her unease Dani provided, “He's a curious old fart, you don't have to tell him anything”.

Henry gave a displeased little huff, but didn't further push his question.

Realising there was no rationality behind her feeling Jamie decided to give him the answers he was looking for. “A small and narrow little place in the middle of nowhere, that's where I'm from.”

“England, I get it,” he looked at her with a teasing glint in his eyes and she couldn't help shake her head at him. There was something about him that was unthreatening enough that even a mock insult turned almost charming. He suddenly grimaced in pain and looked over at Dani. “What was that for?” he asked her, making Jamie realise she must have kicked him under the table. Dani didn't reply, instead happily kept her focus on the dinner in front of her.

“How do you even become a sommelier?” This time the actual question came from Dani who looked at her with curious eyes and a doubtful expression.

Jamie looked at her and briefly wondered what kind of response she would get from both of them if she was completely honest with them; boobs, boobs was the main reason. “Tended a bar since I was fifteen. One thing lead to another lead me here,” she said and gave them the significantly shortened and boobless version of events. “A lot of studying along the way. I have probably spat more wine than most people have drunk.”

“There's actual school for it?” Dani asked and Jamie had to admit it felt really good to have her attention focused on her, it had the potential of being an addictive sensation.

“Yes, and tests. Took me a couple of tries, but I now have the diploma to show off for my effort. That and hopefully a pretty extensive knowledge of wine.” She looked over at Henry, trying not to be so obvious about the way her eyes wanted to linger a little too long on Dani's features. “How about the two of you? How do two Americans end up in the southeast of France working someone else's vineyard?”

Both Henry and Dani seemed to grow very quiet at the simple question and she briefly wondered if she had overstepped some invisible boundary, but eventually Henry cleared his throat and found his words. “Another long dreary story. I was with the Crains before they moved here. Did a bit of everything, driver, assistant, handyman. Hell, on some days I think I was part-time nanny too. After...” he paused and the look on his face made it clear her remembered something painful. “After Mrs Crain died and they decided to relocate I didn't think my services would be needed, but like you said, one thing lead to another and suddenly I've got my hands full of vines and am scrambling to learn how to keep them alive.”

Both Henry and Jamie looked over at Dani with unspoken encouragement for her to tell her side of the story. She leaned back under their gazes and looked deeply uncomfortable. “I...it's not...”

Not wanting to add further on to her discomfort Jamie quickly interjected, “It's fine, I didn't mean to give you the third degree”.

Dani looked at her with expressive eyes that seemed to be full of apprehension, fear and something else, indecision maybe. But if that was it, it quickly gave way and she answered, “No, it's fine. It's not a particularly interesting story. I couldn't handle College. I was working through some...stuff and I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. My mom bought the ticket, told me to do some good and figure things out. That was...it was years ago now. Don't think I ever did figure things out in a way that pleased her, but I realised I loved this life, so I've been coming back each year since.”

“Oh, so you don't actually live here full time?” Jamie asked a little surprised. There was something about Dani in this setting that fit so well that she almost had a hard time envisioning her outside of it. The way she relaxed back in her chair with the electric light softly framing her, she looked at home. And with all the details she saw around the kitchen, the dried flowers, the small landscape paintings on the walls, none of it felt like Henry. She knew she was making a lot of assumptions, she knew neither of these two people, but between them Dani was the one who felt and looked like she belonged in this cabin, not Henry.

“There isn't much work in the winter, I usually fly back for a few months.”

It reminded Jamie of why she was actually there in the first place. “Why aren't you actually producing your own wine? What do you do with all the grapes?”

“Well - “ Henry started and she looked over at him, his face went through a series of expressions and she could tell he was sizing her up before deciding how much to tell her. “We actually do make our own wine. We just don't do it officially.”

She raised an eyebrow at him.

“You make it sound like we're moonshiners,” Dani complained. “What he means is, the vineyard doesn't officially or commercially produce any wine. We do make our own wines, but it's for our own use.”

“We might share it locally, occasionally....for a small price,” Henry added, in a tone that indeed made it sound like they were moonshiners.

“I don't know why, but that makes me happy,” Jamie said and sipped the wine she had brought with her.

Dani raised an eyebrow at her and leaned forward a little. “Us being moonshiners makes you happy?”

Jamie coughed as the wine went down the wrong pipe, her eyes tearing up a little. “No, not that part,” she tried to get out in between the coughs. As her body calmed down she managed to added, “I thought all these grapes were wasted. Makes me happy it's not all for show for the tourists, but that they're used for the reason they're actually grown.”

“It's not entirely kosher, but it felt like too much of a waste to let it rot on the vines,” Dani admitted as she took off the shirt she'd been wearing, draping it over the back of her chair. She got up and gathered up the empty plates and moved them over to the sink. Jamie tried to keep her focus turned on Henry so it wouldn't get free reign with the visual of Dani in a black tanktop with a lot of bare skin on display.

“Do you want some coffee?” Henry asked.

“I'd better not. My sleep schedule is fucked up as it is, I shouldn't try to challenge it into finding me new depths of insomnia.”

“You wouldn't want to try the wine would you?” Dani asked as she sat back down again. She looked like she probably regretted the words the moment they'd left her mouth, but Jamie was too delighted by the offer to care.

“I would love to.”

Backtracking on her own words Dani tried to explain, “It's...I mean it's not like it's good wine, but...”.

“No, I get that it might be a little rough around the edges, but the curiosity in me is dying to try it even if it would be vinegar.”

“If you're sure?” Dani gave her another out, one she really didn't want.

“I'm very sure.”

Dani stood up to go get the bottle, but Henry's hand on her arm stopped her. “You were responsible for dinner, the least I can do is go get the wine.” He gently pushed her back down into the seat and she narrowed her eyes at him. “You stay.” He smiled at his niece, a mischievous one. “You want me to get your eyedrops on the way back so you can keep your eyes open?” he asked, but all Dani managed to do before he dodged out of the room was to drop her jaw.

“You okay?” Jamie asked, baffled by their strange little interaction.

“I'm fine,” Dani stammered. “I – I've got allergies,” she explained and looked embarrassed, which struck Jamie as odd. I mean who was embarrassed about allergies?! “He gives me shit about it,” Dani added off the perplexed look on Jamie's face.

“That's a strange thing to rib someone about,” Jamie replied.

“My uncle is a strange man,” she said and meant it.

Jamie gave her a soft smile in return before adding, “Thank you for dinner. It was great”.

Dani seemed to blush again. Sure Jamie had only spent one evening with her, but she could already tell Dani was not the kind of woman who easily endured attention or accepted a compliment. She had herself grown up in a household were friendly words or compliments were not shared, which was probably why she as an adult was so adamant at encouraging people whenever the opportunity arose. Nothing could heal a person like a friendly word or appreciation. The worst part then was to meet people like Dani, those who shied away from it like you were trying to offer them thirty lashes. When all you wanted to do was to encourage them, but instead you drop a rock on their shoulder for them to carry. She hadn't really figured out how to solve this type of equation, but she knew that less was almost always more. So she wasn't going to push it.

“Glad you liked it,” Dani finally replied. “I'm not really used to cooking for anyone other than myself. Or Henry. It's sometimes hard to know whether it's actually good or if I'm just starving enough that Cup Noodles would be considered a delicacy.” She finished off with a lop-sided self-deprecating little smile.

Jamie laughed at her honesty and the charming gesture. “I'll tell you a secret.” She unnecessarily lowered her voice as there was no one else in the room. “I might be a little biased, because this is the first meal I have eaten in...I can't even remember how long, where I haven't either been in a hotel room or sitting alone in the corner of a restaurant feeling awkward. So that alone makes this five stars.”

Dani looked at her with eyes that seemed to see everything and it suddenly made her feel a little embarrassed at her naked honesty, but the bottle of wine that they had shared between them had loosened up her tongue so now there was no taking it back.

Henry took that moment to stumble back in from the hallway. “I nearly broke my fucking neck in that barn. We need to clear that place out,” he said as he kicked off his boots before walking in holding up a bottle like a trophy. “But I found it!”

“You actually make the wine here on site?” Jamie asked surprised and a little amazed.

Dani shrugged while Henry once again struggled with the uncorking. “It's really basic.”

“You have to show me some time,” Jamie begged.

“If you're still here when the season comes to an end, sure,” Dani agreed. There was something in her voice that Jamie didn't really like, an undercurrent where it sounded as if she didn't expect her to be. Jamie didn't know why, but it did not land well in the pit of her stomach. It made her feel flaky, but why it bothered her so much she couldn't figure out.

Henry got the bottle opened without too much fuss this time and leaned over to pour, Jamie quickly put her hand over her glass before he tipped the bottle. “Do you have a decanter?” she asked. He frowned at her so deeply she almost felt like giggling. “Or maybe just a pitcher?” she added.

“Sure...” he answered cautiously.

“I haven't tasted it, but I bet it could use some time to breathe,” she continued. “That's usually a good idea when it's young and it's red,” she explained and winced a little when she realised she'd slipped into her work-voice, feeling stupid for lecturing people whose livelihood were grapes.

He walked over to the kitchen cabinets, opened them up and reached up for a glass pitcher. Placing it on the counter he then poured the bottle into it, Jamie enjoying the surprisingly deep red of it. Her previous annoyance at Dani's words was replaced by the professional curiosity of getting to try something she'd never tasted before. Unable and unwilling to resist the urge to get up and sniff the wine she went with it, she crowded close to Henry and placed her nose over the pitcher. What she was met with made the excitement grow. She knew it was probably not going to be a good wine, but sometimes that didn't matter as much as the experience of tasting it, adding it to her palate's library. Taking a step back she inteded to get back in her seat but instead found herself bumping into Dani.

“Sorry,” she said and half turned around, acutely aware of Dani's steadying grip on her waist. Her fingers were warm even through the fabric and set off a string of inappropriate thoughts in Jamie's mind. She carefully stepped away from the touch and found her chair again.

“It's okay,” Dani said. “My fault really, shouldn't have snuck up on you.”

“Now what?” Henry asked and it took Jamie a couple of seconds before she realised he was talking about the wine and not where her mind wanted things to go.

She cleared her voice. “Now we wait.”

“A game while we wait?” Henry then asked and looked over at Dani.

“There's three of us,” she replied.

“Jamie, do you play backgammon??” he turned his eyes on her instead.

“I can honestly say I have never played it ever in my life.”

“That's perfect. The two of you against me.”

“You can say no,” Dani informed her while ignoring Henry's words.

“I don't even know the rules, but why not?!” she replied with a laugh.

“I can teach you - “ Dani said. “As we go. If you'd like?”

“Sure. I never pass on an opportunity to learn something new.”

***

Dani had begun to regret her life choices, or at least the fact that she agreed to a game of backgammon and that she offered to teach Jamie the rules. Because dinner had been one thing. She'd enjoyed that. She had enjoyed being at a safe distance from Jamie, getting to sneak glances at the woman when she wasn't looking. Enjoying the animated way she spoke with her whole body, her hands flying through the air as she gesticulated to make a point. Enjoying the way her eyes sparkled under the kitchen lights, even more so when they had lit a few candles and the sparkling had intensified. All of it very enjoyable. The turn of events that lead to the safe distance being gone and them sitting next to each other, crammed in on the same side of the small table, knees and thighs constantly bumping into each other as they moved – that part was a lot less enjoyable, it felt more painful. Maybe not physically, no physically it was a little too nice which was why it was painful.

The feeling of her hand on Jamie's waist as she accidentally bumped into her lingered and it had made her a little too aware. She'd loathe to admit it, but maybe Henry was on to something and she was actually more than a bit sexually frustrated. One attractive woman and her fingers itched to touch and tease. She reached for her glass and took a healthy swig of wine.

“Are you cheating?” Jamie asked Henry with narrow eyes as he proclaimed himself the winner, for the third time in a row. Dani should have felt wounded pride, normally she would have, but normally there wouldn't be a too attractive woman bumping legs with her under the table while she tried to concentrate on the next move. It felt like extenuation circumstances so no pride was sacrificed.

“Superior intellect,” he said with a smug grin.

“Lucky bastard,” Dani grumbled and she heard Jamie giggle at her comment. She wanted to look over at her, but kept her death glare on Henry instead. She leaned back in her chair again and once more accidentally bumped into Jamie's knee as she did so. “Sorry,” she mumbled for what felt like the hundredth time that evening.

“No worries,” Jamie said, but pushed her chair back and gave Dani some space to breathe. “As much fun as this has been, I probably should get back,” she said as she stood up.

“Do you want company back up to the house?” Henry offered while he folded up the game board.

Dani studied Jamie as she seemed to consider his offer, the way her cheeks were rosy from the warmth inside the cottage and probably in part also due to the wine they had shared. She was beautiful, Dani decided.

“I appreciate the offer, it's fine though.” Her eyes drifted towards the window and it was as if she only just had noticed how dark it was outside. “But you wouldn't have a torch I could borrow?” she asked and scrunched up her face.

“I'll go with you,” Dani said, blaming the wine for being so willing to step out into the cold dark night.

“You really don't have to,” Jamie said, but she didn't sound convinced by her own words.

“No, it's fine. I'll get us a flashlight and I'll be right back.”

She walked out of the kitchen and opened up the door to the cupboard beneath the stairs, rummaging through one of the boxes . As her fingers closed around the flashlight she found herself standing there, staring into the darkness with a frown on her face.

She shook her head at the thoughts running through her head, she was being fucking stupid.

***

“I didn't realise it had gotten so cold,” Jamie said and shivered as they slowly found their way back up towards the house, Dani letting the small beam of light guide their steps.

“Spring is a fickle thing. One moment the sun is shining and you think everything is set for summer. The next moment the nights come with frost.”

“You have a really nice home,” Jamie said after a few minutes of silence.

Dani shrugged, but realised she probably couldn't see it as her eyes were focused on the uneven ground. “It's Henry's.”

“Something tells me you've put your mark on it too,” she countered.

“Maybe a little,” Dani admitted.

As they came closer to the hotel the pathway was lit up and the use for Dani's flashlight disappeared so she came to a halt. “I guess I should get back.”

Jamie looked over at her and smiled, even though the cold bit her exposed skin that smile warmed her stomach. “Thank you,” Jamie said. “Both for the light and the food.” She paused. “And the wine, that was an experience.”

“Like I said, not the best, but it's actually decent enough in cooking,” she said feeling awkward making eye contact with Jamie and feeling even more awkward when she didn't.

“It's actually you, isn't it?” Jamie suddenly asked.

Frowning Dani asked, “What's me?”.

“The wine. It's not something the Crains or Henry really has a hand in, is it?”

“No,” she eventually admitted after a beat. “They used to let it rot on the vine. Felt like a waste, so I decided to do something about it..”

“I meant what I said. I really would like to be there when you make the next batch. I'd love to be there for the whole process,” Jamie insisted. “Everything I know about wine is so...” She looked up at Dani and her eyes were almost a new shade in this lighting, they seemed to change colours like a mood stone. “It would be fun to know the practicality behind it, to see the reality behind all the things I only know in theory.” She finished off with a soft smile and Dani's stomach warmed again.

“I'll keep that in mind,” she said and turned to walk home again. Maybe it was the slight buzz of alcohol or the slight buzz of Jamie's company, but something spurred Dani to turn around and add, “If that place ever gets too depressing you have an open invitation for bad wine and backgammon.”

Jamie reached out and seemed to hesitate for a moment before she took hold of Dani's hand and gave it a squeeze. “I'll be taking you up on that offer.” Then with one final smile she walked off. With a warm stomach and goosebumps along her arm Dani headed back home.

***

“So?” Henry asked as Dani re-entered the kitchen, the cold lingered on her cheeks and in her fingers.

Dani looked over at him from the doorway. “So what?” She kicked off her shoes and turned the lock on the door.

“She seemed nice,” he commented, drawing out the _nice_ in a way that gave it a healthy dose of pointed emphasis.

“No, we are not doing this,” Dani said firmly, walking over to the table and emptied her wine glass.

“What?” He had an innocent look on his face, making him look forty years younger than he actually was and like he had just tried to convince the teacher the dog ate his homework.

“Don't play innocent. The match-making yenta-look does not suit you. So drop it,” she warned.

“All I said was that the woman seemed nice.”

“She was nice. She was attractive. And we're still not going there.”

“Why not?” He looked at her intently.

“One, for all I know she might be straight. Besides I'm not looking for a fling.”

“I can't believe you didn't ask her.”

“You don't just ask someone if they're straight.”

“No, but you could have tested the waters a little at least. You could have dropped a question or two about boyfriends or...well I don't know. This is your territory.” Dani glared at him, but deemed him unworthy of a reply. “You're just mad because you're scared,” Henry continued.

“Scared of what exactly?” Her arms were firmly crossed over her chest and she had a displeased look on her face.

“That she might actually be interested,” he suggested and it made Dani's jaws clench.

“Yeah, we are not having this conversation.” Dani walked away and headed up the stairs to her bedroom.

***

Jamie fell into bed and her limbs and mind felt heavy, but a good kind of heavy. The alcohol they had shared throughout the evening had left a lingering buzz that was mostly pleasant and mellow. The company had relaxed and rejuvenated her at the same time. The entire evening had felt more real than the past few weeks had been put together. Both Henry and Dani were very likeable, she promised herself she'd take Dani up on her offer the first opportunity she got.

She smiled as her eyelids closed and it was not long before sleep found her.

And with it came the dreams.


End file.
